Don't pooh-pooh the power of cooperation: by pooling data and resources, the agencies that test water quality on the San Lorenzo River are figuring out where pollutants are coming from—the first step toward getting rid of them.

The outlines of a debate over the future of the San Lorenzo River started forming at Wednesday's forum, with part of the crowd prioritizing habitat improvement and others emphasizing greater human engagement through recreation and commerce.

The morning after Valentine's Day, several dozen people gathered in a parking lot behind the old Royal Taj (now Maharaja) restaurant on Soquel and Riverside and lugged their canoes, kayaks and SUP boards down a grassy embankment to the edge of the San Lorenzo River.

OK, it might not sound that exciting. But if you like drinking water, bathing, watering your garden and not being a a total jerk to the native fish, you'll probably find something to like about this 20-minute vid from the Coastal Watershed Council.

And the winners of the straw poll survey of what folks want on the new and improved San Lorenzo River are: recreational access close to the rivermouth, food trucks and restaurants between the Water and Laurel street bridges, and interpretive signage between the Water Street Bridge and Highway 1.